• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Well it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Skyforger used to be one of the true great bands, but after the release of Thunderforge waayyyy back in 2003 they kind of went off the rails. First they followed up with an all-folk album, and then they waited seven years to put out the vastly inferior Kurbads. I was pretty sure that was it for them, but now we have this, their sixth full-length album in a twenty-year career.

This is Skyforger back in the groove. They have ditched the folk instrumentation and added a new guitar player who knows how to write fucking Skyforger riffs. This band was never straight-up Black Metal, they always had their own style, and this album harks clearly back to classics like Latvian Riflemen. They have stripped their sound back to what they were best at - aggressive, hooky riffs with a distinctly old-school style and approach, melded to a Pagan Metal sense of melody and phrasing. Vocalist Peteris is not as raspy as he used to be, but he digs down into a nicely heathen Thrash style for vocals that are aggressive without being so abrasive they overpower the riffs.

Overall this is a fine comeback for a great band. It may not hit the highs of their classic era, but it proves they can once again do what they are good at and deliver a solid fucking album. Skyforger returns from the grave.